Funeral Mass for Msgr. Edward J. Fairchild, 88, who died Friday, Dec. 24, was celebrated Wednesday, Dec. 29 at Pickerington St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. Burial was at St. Joseph Cemetery, Columbus.
He was born on March 22, 1933 in Columbus to Joseph W. and Marie (Lawler) Fairchild.
He graduated from Columbus Holy Rosary High School in 1951. He then attended St. Charles College Seminary in Columbus and Mount St. Mary of the West Seminary in Cincinnati before he was ordained to the priesthood on May 30, 1959 at St. Joseph Cathedral by Bishop Clarence Issenmann.
He was a teacher at the former Chillicothe Central Catholic High School and Columbus Bishop Hartley High School. His pastoral assignments included assistant pastor at Chillicothe St. Mary Church and Columbus Christ the King Church. He was co-pastor at Columbus Our Lady of Peace Church before becoming the founding pastor of Pickerington St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in 1978. He went on to serve as pastor at Columbus St. Peter Church and Westerville St. Paul Church.
Msgr. Fairchild was a member of the priest senate and the diocesan finance review board, and was chairman of the bishop’s committee on priests’ salaries.
He was appointed a monsignor, with the title of prelate of honor, by Pope St. John Paul II on Sept. 24, 1992.
Following his retirement from active ministry in July 2003, he served for many years as weekend associate at Seton Parish and lived in south Columbus before moving to the Villas at St. Therese and McCrory Manor. .
He is survived by his brothers William (Jean), Joseph Jr. (Elaine) and James (Linda), all of the Columbus area; five nieces, three nephews and numerous great-nieces and great-nephews.
Sister Patricia Gavaghan, OP
Funeral Mass for Sister Patricia Gavaghan, OP, 83, who died Sunday, Dec. 12 at the Mohun Health Care Center, was celebrated Tuesday, Dec. 21 at the Motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. Burial was at St. Joseph Cemetery, Columbus.
She was born on Sept. 2 1938 in New York City to Patrick and Catherine (Crehan) Gavaghan.
She was a graduate of St. Vincent Ferrer School in New York City and attended the Thorpe Secretarial School in New York before entering the congregation of the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs (now the Dominican Sisters of Peace) in 1957. She pronounced her first vows in 1959, taking the name Sister Mary Agnese.
She had lived in Columbus since 1986, working at the Mohun center as a driver from 1986 to 2003 and in the central supply department from 2008 to 2014 and as a member of the transportation team at the Motherhouse from 2003 to 2008. She also worked at the former St. Joseph Priory in Somerset from 1960 to 1962 and in food service in Connecticut and New York. She moved to the Mohun center in 2016.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Anna.
Mildred Gain
Funeral Mass for Mildred Gain, 71, who died Monday, Dec. 6, was celebrated Wednesday, Dec. 29 at Columbus St. Peter Church. Burial was at Resurrection Cemetery, Lewis Center.
She was born on Dec, 29, 1949 in the Philippines to the late Zacarias and Natividad (Gabuat) Valdez.
She received a Bachelor of Science degree in commerce and accounting from Stella Maris College in Quezon City, the Philippines, came to the United States with her husband, Fred, in 1972 and lived in the Chicago and Houston areas before moving to Worthington in 1989.
She was chief financial officer of Catholic Social Services from 1997 to 2003, then was employed in the same position by LifeCare Alliance of Columbus until her retirement in 2020. She earlier worked for the Grant Thornton accounting firm in Chicago and Sanese Services in Columbus.
At St. Peter Church, she was an extraordinary minister of the Eucharist, president of the parish finance committee, led several fundraising activities and volunteered for Meals on Wheels.
She is survived by her husband; sons, John (Leilani) Gain and James (Elizabeth); daughter, Margaret (David) McKenzie; brothers, Efren, Joseph (Liza), Lincoln and Terry (Emy); sisters, Lorna (Steve) Straw and Marilyn (Norrie) Romero; and five grandchildren.
ADAIR, Dominique E. (Antommarchi), 36, Dec. 16
St. Pius X Church, Reynoldsburg
BANNING, Michael, 74, Dec. 5
St. John Neumann Church, Sunbury
BEDNARCZYK, Stanley P. Jr., 74, Dec. 15
Our Lady of Peace Church, Columbus
BERGMANN, Daniel J., 92, Dec. 13
St. Ladislas Church, Columbus
BOCSY, Margaret L., 86, Dec. 12
Our Mother of Sorrows Chapel, Columbus
BRESSLER, Dr. Franklin D., 88, Dec. 6
St. Pius X Church, Reynoldsburg
BRICKER SWARTZ, Margaret H., 86, Dec. 16
St. Michael Church, Worthington
CAHILL, Patricia M., 69, Dec. 1
St. Pius X Church, Reynoldsburg
COUDEN, Mary G. (Hatem), 92, Dec. 12
St. Matthew Church, Gahanna
DEW, James F., 89, Dec. 11
St. Patrick Church, Columbus
DILLON, Terry T., 76, Dec. 8
St. John Neumann Church, Sunbury
DIX, John F., 80, Dec. 14
Our Lady of Victory Church, Columbus
GIBBONS, Charles, 68, Dec. 6
St. Joseph Church, Dover
GILDEA, Peter T., 81, Dec. 20
St. Brigid of Kildare Church, Dublin
KOEBEL, Nancy A. (Selish), 85, Dec. 13
Christ the King Church, Columbus
KUNKLER, Marcia Ann “Pat,” 89, Dec. 11
St. Mary Church, Bremen
MANUS, Demetrios A. “Demo” Jr., 21, Dec. 7
St. Christopher Church, Columbus
MARTIN, William T., 92, Dec. 13
St. Mary Church, Delaware
MATYAC, Cecilia “Cece,” 79, Dec. 4
St. Mary, Mother of God Church, Columbus
NELSON, Floyd A. Jr., 94, Dec. 6
Our Mother of Sorrows Chapel, Columbus
O’NEIL, Marjorie, 95, Dec. 15
Immaculate Conception Church, Columbus
PACKARD, Ronald J. Jr., 56, Dec. 17
St. Bernadette Church, Lancaster
ROTOLO, Kathryn A., Dec. 2
Christ the King Church, Columbus
SCHWAN, Nancy L., 88, Dec. 17
St. Christopher Church, Columbus
THOMAS, LuAnne M., 64, Dec. 12
St. Paul Church, Westerville
TRAINOR, Maureen C. (Killilea), 80, Dec. 14
Our Mother of Sorrows Chapel, Columbus
UNGER, Joan, 93, Dec. 13
Sacred Heart Church, Coshocton
WALKER, William E., 90, Nov. 24
St. Philip Church, Columbus
WOLF, Michael C., 70, Nov. 29
Our Mother of Sorrows Chapel, Columbus
ZUBOVIC, Jacob J. “Jack,” 90, Dec. 13
St. Philip Church, Columbus
